Spain will grant residency and work permits to about 300,000 migrants in the country illegally each year for the next three years.

The government said new rules could give legal status — and work permits — to about 300,000 people a year over the next three years to address gaps in the labor market.

The Canaries have registered the fastest increase in arrivals by sea in the European Union this year, data from EU border agency Frontex shows. By Nov. 15, they had received a total of 39,713 migrants, 23% more than in the same period last year, according to Spain's interior ministry.

Spain is to legalise about 300,000 undocumented migrants a year - at a time that many European countries are seeking to limit or deter migration.

Spain will grant residency and work permits each year for the next three years to about 300,000 migrants who are in the country illegally.